For as Long as You'll Let Me
by quinnovative
Summary: Kara may need an Alex level intervention to help her take care of a human struck down by illness, but one thing Kara knows for sure is that she's not letting a sick Lena Luthor go through the day alone. (Implied Supercorp)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I don't know where this came from and I don't know where it's going. Actually, that's not true, because I have the second part already written. Once this idea got in my head and I started writing, I couldn't stop... so, I present to you a nice, fluffy Lena/Kara sickfic that I probably had too much fun writing.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

"Hey," Kara said, door swinging behind her as she entered Lena's office, intent on checking on the brunette after assassins had broken into her penthouse the previous night. Supergirl had arrived before any of them got hands on Lena, but her place had been effectively trashed and blood had been spilled. Kara paused when she didn't receive a reply, head tilting slightly to the side as she took another step closer. "Lena," Kara said again.

The CEO's head snapped up, dark hair pulled into a ponytail flipping behind her shoulder.

Kara raised her eyebrows and Lena dipped her head again. "Hey," she responded softly, rubbing a hand across her face and pressing her palm against her forehead.

A moment passed before she looked up, eyes meeting Kara's concerned glance. "Are you okay, Lena?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Lena straightened, but a sniffle betrayed her façade of composure. Her skin was a shade paler than usual, eyes glazed, and a slight wince on her lips at each movement that was a little too quick or a little too hard.

"You don't… you don't look fine," Kara said and edged closer, hesitation punctured her steps, but still she forged forward, dropping her bag and coat on a chair.

"It's just a headache," Lena said, waving a dismissive hand and shifting papers across her desk.

Kara furrowed her brow. "Do you get them often?" she asked, worry etched across her features.

Lena shrugged. "Sometimes…I-" she was cut off by a sneeze that shook her shoulders and left her squeezing her eyes closed for a moment. A multitude of symptoms had descended on this morning and she could feel it get progressively worse as minutes ticked away.

"Here," Kara said, offering Lena a tissue from the other side of the desk.

"Thanks," Lena said and her voice sounded different.

"Lena, I think you're sick," Kara said.

The brunette shook her head and it magnified the pounding, she closed her eyes again as dizziness fell over her. Reluctantly, Lena dropped her head into one hand and clutched the edge of her desk with the other until her knuckles turned white. "It's no big deal, I can manage," she said, raising her eyes to meet Kara's. Lena was used to managing; used to taking care of herself. Her greatest coping mechanism, even as a child, was simply to power through and push forward on her own.

"You shouldn't have to. C'mon let me take you home."

"I can't, Kara, there's too much work for me to do here and I feel fine, truly." She swallowed and tried to hide the grimace at the pain in her throat.

"Lena, please, let me take care of you." The brunette froze at those words, eyes closing for entirely different reasons than before, heart thumping in her chest. "You look bad—I mean not _bad_ bad. You always look great, but-" Kara paused and looked upward, blowing a puff of air at the hair loose from her bun. Despite the chills sending shivers through her frame and the ache radiating through her body, a small grin slipped across Lena's cheeks at Kara's flustered attempts to find the right words. "What I _meant_ to say is that you look like you feel bad."

Lena sighed and rubbed her face. She looked up at Kara with red rimmed, glossy eyes. "Okay."

"Okay?" Kara asked, a small smile spreading across her face.

Lena nodded, wobbling as she rose to gather her things. Kara stood to the side, wanting to hold Lena up, but unsure of how the woman would respond. "I'm afraid my apartment was quite nearly demolished in its entirety last night by a group of assassins." She all but rolled her eyes. "So I'm pent up in a hotel right now while my house is getting fixed."

"You can come to my place!" Kara said, brightening.

"I couldn't, not-"

"Don't be ridiculous," Kara cut in immediately, reading into Lena's hesitant tone. "I'm serious. No one should be in a hotel when they're sick, and my place is in good condition. I just cleaned it yesterday." Kara was feeling immensely grateful for Alex's constant _Kara, this is gross; Kara, you can't keep living out of your clothes dryer; Kara, this paint brush hasn't moved in five days._ It wasn't that Kara _liked_ leaving things messy, it's just that between reporting and superhero-ing, things sometimes got a little out of hand; and Alex really didn't have that much room to talk. It wasn't like her fridge had seen real food in days considering how much time the agent was spending at the DEO.

Lena gave a sigh of submission. "I'd call my driver, but I gave him the day off."

"You picked a really crappy day to get sick, huh?" Kara teased and pulled her own coat and bag from the chair in front of Lena's desk.

The brunette gave a halfhearted laugh. Kara registered the pain lacing the noise, sending worry spiking through her body. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, she wasn't quite sure), the Kryptonian's human sickness gage was not well refined. Kara felt a pang of regret for not remembering more from her biology courses in school, or Alex's medical 'fun facts' that, in all honesty, weren't very fun in Kara's opinion. "It's no problem, though," Kara said, shifting her attention. "We'll get a cab. My apartment isn't too far, anyway."

As Lena took a step forward she swayed and Kara was by her side quicker than humanly possible. "Is it okay if I…?" she gestured to Lena's side, reaching out.

The CEO gave a tense nod and before she knew it, Kara had wrapped an arm around Lena's waist and tucked her against her own side. "Are you all right?"

Lena nodded again, this time more relaxed than before as she leaned heavily against Kara and felt warmth radiating from the blonde. They took a few shaky steps and Kara hooked her arm under Lena's shoulder to get a better grip. Lena made a soft sound of discomfort as more dizziness hit and her body ached in protest at the movement. Kara pulled Lena closer and whispered against dark hair. "Don't worry, I've got you."

By the time the cab approached Kara's apartment building fifteen minutes into the ride, Lena was a warm weight against Kara's side, eyes pulled closed by light sleep. Kara threaded her fingers gently through Lena's hair and in her half-conscious state the CEO leaned into the touch and its foreign softness. The blonde took advantage of the moment to press the back of her hand against Lena's forehead. Heat radiated off Lena's skin onto Kara's, it didn't feel good, Kara determined. She knew this wasn't how humans were supposed to feel, but at the same time she genuinely had no idea if it was really bad or just a little bad. She needed to call Alex as soon as she could and figure out this whole human getting sick thing.

The taxi jolted to a stop and Lena blinked, sitting up a bit and straightening off of Kara. The blonde turned to her after handing the driver money. "Hey," she said softly, wearing an easy smile. "We're here."

Lena gave a small nod and took Kara's extended hand, helping her out of the car. Lena's legs felt unstable as she stood, the world whirling around her and she tightened her grip on Kara's fingers. "Let me help you," Kara said, holding out her arm for Lena to come closer and rest against the blonde. She complied, letting out a sigh as her eyes opened and closed drowsily as Kara led them through the building, up the elevator, and into her apartment.

With a hand on Lena's back, Kara steered her into the bedroom.

Lena shook her head. "I can't take your bed."

"Sure you can," Kara said, ending the conversation by slipping an arm under Lena's shoulders and knees, scooping her onto the sheets.

"God you're strong," Lena muttered, turning her head on the pillow to face Kara.

The blonde ducked her head and adjusted to her glasses to hide the blush rising on her cheeks. "I—Alex, my sister, makes me train with her… being in the FBI and all, y'know she works out a lot."

Lena nodded, her fever fogged head accepting the explanation without much consideration. All she could think about was how nice it felt to be taken care of, to have someone else molding their whole day around making her comfortable when she felt so bad.

"Here, I hope these are okay," Kara said, passing a pair of fuzzy pajama pants and an old, soft t-shirt from college to Lena. "I'm going to go grab a thermometer and take your temperature, just to make sure it's not too high," Kara said. "Are you good for a second to change?"

"Mhmm. Thank you," Lena hummed, her eyes drooping closed as Kara disappeared into the bathroom. The blonde shuffled through her drawers, looking for the thermometer she kept for all the occasions Alex pretend not to be sick when she clearly was. Having undisputable evidence, such as Alex's temperature, proved to be quite useful when the oldest Danvers sister was denying her ill state. While Alex acted like she had a superior immune system, her track record proved otherwise—something Kara blamed on Alex's absurdly hard training schedule and general lack of sleep.

Kara shook the memories from her head and wrapped her fingers around the device, making a quick stop in the kitchen before returning to the bedroom to meet Lena.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Kara said as she gently nudged Lena awake, who'd somehow managed to change _and_ fall asleep in a matter of minutes. "I need to take your temperature and then you should drink this." Kara raised a glass of water and deposited on the nightstand.

"Open up," she quipped with a small smile and slipped the thermometer under Lena's tongue. So far so good, Kara thought. Maybe she could handle this stuff without an Alex level intervention.

The device beeped and Kara gently pulled it from Lena's mouth. 102.8. What the hell did that mean? Kara pursed her lips. She was _pretty_ sure human temperatures were supposed to be in the 90's, but to be honest, she really didn't—

"What is it?" Lena asked, her words slurred by sleep.

"Uh… it's 102.8?"

Lena nodded and Kara tried to read her facial expression to get a hint, but nothing came. "I'll go grab you medicine?" she attempted, helping Lena sit up and passing the glass of water to her.

The CEO shook her head. "I should be fine, let me try to sleep it off first."

"Are you sure?" Kara asked, brows pulled down in concern.

Lena nodded again and returned the half-finished water back to Kara's outstretched hand. She was pretty sure you were supposed to drink a whole glass when you were sick, but Lena's lips were so pouty and her eyes so watery that Kara placed it on the nightstand without further comment. Lena watched Kara's hesitation, whenever the Luthor had come down with something as a kid, the care she _had_ received was clinical and from distant doctors. It was too much of a risk for her parents to make any sort of contact, as they had claimed, and too much of a time commitment, anyway. But Lex would come and sit by her bed and when she was really little he'd read to her and when they got older they'd play games together and watch movies until she felt better. The thought sent a pang through her chest and she bit her lip.

"You know what, you really should finish this," Kara said, turning back around and giving the water Lena again. "I know you don't want to, but it'll make you feel better later."

Someone was taking care of her, even though it was difficult. Someone was willing to argue with Lena, because they were thinking of her long term wellbeing. "Okay," she agreed, her voice thick with emotion. She coughed in an attempt to hide it.

It was the wrong move.

Kara's head shot up. "You weren't coughing before," the blonde declared. "That's bad, right? You're getting worse, oh Rao. I'm not good at this." She dragged a hand across her face. She groaned. "Shit."

Lena laughed, a smile blooming across her pink lips. Kara rambling was normal; Kara cursing was not.

"What?" Kara questioned, a smile replacing her worried grimace.

"You're getting panicked and cursing over nothing." Something in Lena's voice conveyed how much she loved and appreciated it.

"It's not nothing, it's you!" Kara said, only spurring a giggle—a _literal giggle—_ from the CEO.

"You're being ridiculous."

"No, I'm being concerned." Kara attempted to school her features, but Lena raised her brows in challenge as she laid down against the bed, splitting the blonde's lips into a smile. She tossed a pillow at the CEO's face.

"Hey!"

Kara made a face in response. "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping or something?"

"I would, but some madwoman is throwing things at me," Lena retorted, her eyes crinkly even though they lacked their usual brightness.

"Mhmm." Kara moved the pillow to Lena's side and sat on the edge of the bed, growing serious. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, thank you," Lena said with a small shake of her head. "You've been very kind. None of this was necessary."

"Now you're the one that's being ridiculous," Kara said and Lena peeked her eyes open to see the blonde grinning. "You deserve someone taking care of you. I've got your back."

She pressed her eyes closed as emotion swelled inside her, warm in her stomach and chest. Tears pressed in her cheeks and she felt her lips quiver. Lena pulled the blanket to hide her face and turned against the pillow. "Thank you," she murmured into the fabric.

"You're welcome," Kara said with a hand on Lena's shoulder. The pressure was comforting through the pile of blankets Kara had carried in when she saw Lena shivering. The brunette felt herself melting. "Just call if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay," Lena whispered and felt the mattress shift as Kara stood.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate it.

* * *

When she woke, the sun was just barely dipping beneath the horizon, spilling fiery red across the city. Somehow Lena felt impossibly worse, nauseous and head throbbing, simultaneously hot and cold and sticky, throat burning, body aching. She turned to her side and pulled her knees up to her stomach, dropping her eyes back closed. From the living room she heard Kara speaking into what Lena presumed was the blonde's cell phone. "No, Alex!...yes…. I don't know… Listen, you know I've never done this before….. Stop laughing!... Please just help me," her harsh whisper was punctuated by a dramatic groan and Lena smiled. "I don't know what to do…it was 102.8, is that bad? It sounded bad….okay…okay. Yes… wait…Take it again?... okay I will… Honestly, I have no idea. Do you think I know that? Seriously." Kara rubbed her forehead and pushed back her hair. She heard Maggie's laugh in the background and it made her smile a bit.

"Is she awake right now?" Alex asked, mouthing a 'sorry' at Maggie who was seated across from her in the precinct as she spoke into the phone during their lunch break. Maggie waved off the apology with a warm smile.

"I'll go check," Kara said and made her way into the bedroom, looking at the mass under the sheets. "Lena?" Kara asked, pulling the cell away from her cheek.

The woman opened her eyes and blinked at Kara, rubbing a loose fist across her features as she sat up. She looked so different in that moment, so entirely opposite from the usual impeccably composed CEO, always guarded and calculated. "Hi." Ugh, it hurt to even talk. Or breathe.

"Hey," Kara said, sharing a sweet smile. "How are you feeling?" she pushed a strand of hair off Lena's damp, warm forehead, her hair tie having disappeared somewhere in the sheets while she slept.

She shrugged.

"Uh oh," Kara said. "No answer seems like a bad answer. You're the kind of person that never admits when they're feeling bad, aren't you?"

Lena shrugged again and Kara sighed, taking a seat beside the other woman and placing a cool, wet towel on Lena's forehead for a few minutes. "Does that feel any better?"

Lena nodded, lip pulled between her teeth.

"My sister's on the phone, she's a doctor. Sort of."

"I thought she worked for the FBI?" On the other end of the line Alex rolled her eyes and Maggie laughed.

"She does, but she also did some time in med school."

"God, Kara you make it sound like med school was jail," Alex said and shook her head at the detective across from her.

" _Anyway,"_ Kara began, ignoring her sister. _"_ She has a degree in bio-engineering, but she's really good at this stuff. Here, she wants to talk to you," Kara said, pushing the phone into Lena's hand.

The CEO made a soft noise of surprise before bringing the device to her ear while Kara disappeared to retrieve the thermometer again.

"Agent Danvers, you really don't have to do this. I'm fine."

Alex shook her head even through Lena couldn't see her. "You can call me Alex, you know, and if it's important to my sister, it's important to me. She cares about you. I want to make sure you're okay."

"All right. Thank you." Lena wondered what it was like to have all of these people caring about you. She'd spent a large amount of time with Kara over the past few months, she knew of Kara's tight circle of friends, knew how fiercely protective they were of each other. It made Lena's heart ache with loneliness.

"Mhmm," Alex said nonchalantly, like this was normal, like today wasn't the first day Lena could remember anyone caring about her like this. The agent asked a series of questions regarding Lena's current state.

"Yes… no… yes… mhhmm… yes…yes… no… yes to all three… yes again… okay, I will, thank you… She just got back," Lena said as Kara returned.

"Okay, thanks. I hope you feel better, Lena."

"Thank you."

Kara raised her brows as she took the phone. "Hey, how is she?"

"It sounds like the flu, which can be awful and Lena probably feels miserable and just really bad in general, but she'll be okay. It's relatively common, Kar." Alex proceeded to list medicine Lena could take and Kara jotted it in the margin of her reporting journal, heading to the bathroom to pull what she could from the medicine cabinet she had stocked for the same reason she owned a thermometer. "Make sure she gets lots of rest, okay? And fluids. You need to keep her hydrated."

"Got it. Thanks."

"What's her new temp?"

"103.2"

Alex nodded. "Okay, that's moderate so don't worry about it yet. Hopefully the medicine will help, but let me know if it doesn't or the fever gets worse."

"Will do."

"Take care of her. I'm proud of you, ya know… And Kara?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

A smile bloomed across the blonde's lips. "I love you, too, Alex. I'll talk to you later. Thanks again for the help."

"Anytime," Alex replied and hung up.

"Your sister is very sweet," Lena said, looking at Kara.

The blonde beamed. "She's the best." Kara passed two pills to Lena and a glass of water. "You ready to take these?"

"I suppose," the CEO said, grimacing as she sat up and Kara removed the wet cloth.

Kara bit her lip in concern, watching as Lena swallowed the pills and immediately laid back down, a sheen of sweat an her forehead as she curled into herself. "She said you feel really bad right now." The blonde murmured as she alternated between rubbing circles on Lena's back and playing with the woman's hair, gently massaging her head.

Lena shrugged and a question reemerged. "Haven't you ever been sick before?"

"No—well I mean yes," Kara fumbled with her answer. "It was a long time ago. I have a super strong immune system." She cringed internally at her word choice.

"Lucky you," Lena said, her eyes falling closed. Without meaning to she turned toward Kara, breath and skin warm against the reporter's jeans.

"Do you want something to eat?"

Lena's stomach clenched and she shook her head, her nose just barely brushing Kara's leg. "I don't think that'd be a good idea right now."

"Okay, then just—just try to relax and get some more sleep. Alex said you should get a lot of rest." Kara ran her hand up and down Lena's side in time with her breathing and soothed the CEO enough to drift off.

/

The next time Lena woke, a sob was lodged in her throat, lungs heaving sharp gasps. Her heart thundered and tears spilled down her cheeks. She panted, her head reeled, she squinted in the darkness, feeling faint.

Footsteps were approaching, tapping on the apartment floors. "Lena?" Kara called, swinging around the doorframe and placing a hand on the wall as she peered in. Lena's screams had jolted her awake on the couch. "Oh Rao, Lena," Kara said as she climbed into the bed. "I was just on my way to wake you, I think you had a nightmare."

Lena nodded, blush tinting her tear streaked cheeks as another strangled sob fell from her lips, the contents of her dream already dissolved. It was a fever dream, Kara thought, she _had_ seen this happen with Alex especially when the agent got sick in the months following Jerimiah's death. Kara knew how horrible and devastating those dreams could be, and she wasn't a stranger to nightmares herself.

The blonde pulled Lena against her side and held her tightly, drawing the same circular pattern over and over again on her back and pressing a kiss to Lena's forehead. "You're okay, it's okay. Everything's going to be okay."

It was the first time Lena had been held after a nightmare.

She twisted her fingers around Kara's pajama shirt and gripped it tightly. She cried, spilling tears against Kara's shoulder until her sobs dissipated and she was left to focus on the discomfort her illness was creating. "I'm sorry," she murmured, feverish, pounding head still pressed against the blonde's side. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

"Oh, no, no, Lena." Kara gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You have nothing to apologize for."

The CEO shivered against Kara, trembling in the darkness, skin burning, body wracked with pain. "I don't feel well," she finally admitted through watery breath and a little quivering sigh.

"Oh, I know," Kara said, moving her hand to smooth Lena's hair. "I could tell first thing this morning when I walked into your office that you weren't feeling good."

Something about that statement brought comfort to Lena, like Kara could really see her, there was no hiding, no pretending. "Why did you come by this morning?"

"To check on you. I heard about what happened with the assassins."

"That scared me," she admitted. Lena Luthor had never admitted to being scared.

"I know," Kara whispered and her voice mixed with the still night air and city symphony of distant car horns and sirens. "But I've got you now and you're here and you're okay. You're safe."

Lena nodded and Kara reached over her for a water bottle and more pills. "Round two," she said and passed them to Lena. The brunette swallowed quickly and capped the bottle, she wasn't sure if she could stomach more than a sip at the moment.

Kara didn't push this time, instead she curled an arm around Lena's abdomen, her fingers dancing gently across the skin. "If I could take this sickness off of you and onto myself, I would," Kara said.

Lena shook her head, felt new tears pool in her eyes. "Don't say that."

"I mean it."

"You can't say those kind of those things and then leave; leave like everyone else does."

 _Oh, Lena, Lena, Lena._ Kara's could feel her heart breaking. "Lena, I swear to you that I have no intent to leave. I'll stay with you for as long as you'll let me."

"At least—At least until I fall asleep?"

Kara gave a soft laugh. "Absolutely. I can be here when you wake up, too, if you want?"

Lena nodded and sniffled. "I'd like that."

Kara pulled the sick CEO closer. Running her fingers through Lena's hair as the woman closed her eyes, muscles relaxing and breath slowing. Kara's heart clenched. "Me too."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thank you for your kind responses. As requested by a few readers, I added a third chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

"Lena, I'm worried about you," Kara hummed the next morning, hands gently pulling through the woman's hair. "You're making me want to call a doctor."

" 'm fine," Lena mumbled in response, eyes still closed as she snuggled against Kara, face pressed against her abdomen.

Kara bit her lip, worry coiling in her stomach. Her breath hitched as she felt the grasps of panic writhe inside her. "You don't know that. How can you be sure? I know Alex said it was probably the flu, but what if she was wrong, Lena? You've been in bed for twenty hours and—and you still have a fever. What if it's worse than that. I—I can't, I couldn't—"

"Shh, Kara," Lena eased herself up, cupped the blonde's face. "Kara, it's okay. Calm down."

She shook her head and it's then that Lena caught sight of the tears that threatened to spill down Kara's cheeks. Lena wondered how much Kara had lost, brows furrowed in concern and confusion as she gazed up at the blonde.

"I'm gonna—I'm gonna call Alex, okay?" Kara whispered, sniffling and blinking away her tears, cheeks flushed in embarrassment at her panic.

"Okay," Lena said softly, sinking back down under the sheets and curling her fingers around Kara's. "You do whatever you need."

"Thanks," Kara said and swept her hand over the nightstand until it collided with her phone. She dialed the number from memory, foot shaking back and forth as she listened to the ring.

"Kara?" Alex's sleepy voice emerged from the phone.

"Hey, Alex."

"Hey, what's wrong?" Alex sat up in bed, sheets gathering at her waist as she glanced around her bedroom. "It's four in the morning."

"Oh, sorry," Kara said and Alex could sense the fear lacing her words.

"No, no, it's okay. What's up?" She dragged a hand over her face, eyes adjusting to the darkness.

Kara untangled herself from Lena and paced out of the bedroom, walking circles around the living area. "Lena's not any better."

"I thought her temperature went down a bit the last time you texted me."

"It did but only by half a degree," Kara answered, voice tearful, padding across the floor with the hem of her oversized pajamas catching beneath her heel.

"That's still improvement, Kara, and it hasn't even been a whole day yet, right?"

"Mhmm."

"It's going to take longer than that for her to recover, okay?"

"Okay," Kara murmured, readjusting her grip on the phone to make sure she didn't break it. "It's just that I get-"

"Scared, I know," Alex finished and wished she could hug Kara. "And I understand why, but really this is nothing, Kara. She'll be fine."

Kara took a deep breath. "Okay."

"How about I stop by later today, after work?"

"I'd really appreciate that."

"Then I'll be there," Alex said. "Try to get some more sleep, Kar, all right? And relax a bit. Everything's okay, you're doing fine."

"Okay, thanks," Kara said. "I love you."

"Love you too," Alex said into the phone and hung up.

/

Fourteen hours later, Alex let herself into Kara's apartment, easing the door closed behind her as she peered in. She was just about to call her sister's name when she caught sight of the pair on the couch: Kara's sleeping form limp against Lena.

Lena looked over as a smile curled across Alex's cheeks.

"I think playing doctor wore her out a bit," Lena said, shifting her gaze affectionately back to the blonde borrowed in her side.

"I guess it must've," Alex said with a grin, placing her stuff down. She'd grown familiar enough with Lena over past game nights and movie nights at Kara's to consider her a friend. "How are you?"

"Feeling better, thank you."

Alex nodded and took a seat beside Kara, running a hand over her side before looking back up. "Just—just be careful with her, okay? I know we've had the talk before to some degree and I know you and Kara aren't officially anything yet. But Kara's different, you know, she's special. Everything that she does, she does with every piece of her, whether it's loving or hurting or missing someone."

Lena nodded, both women's gazes trained on the blonde between them. "Be careful and don't hurt her."

"You have my word," Lena said, meeting Alex's eyes.

"And if-" Kara's hand rose from beneath the blanket, hitting softly against Alex's face and cutting her off. The look of annoyance on the brunette's face faded when Kara opened her eyes, a smile splitting her lips as she grinned up at Alex. "I thought I heard you," the blonde said.

"Mhmm, sleeping on the job I see?" Alex asked and Kara blushed in response.

"We were watching a movie and I guess I dozed off," she muttered, shifting upward and directing her attention to Lena. "Are you okay?"

The CEO nodded with a smile. "I'm fine, thank you, Kara."

"You use that word so much, I think it's lost its meaning," Kara said. "And I know you're not completely fine because you still haven't eaten yet."

Lena shrugged, dropping her head against Kara's shoulder and the blonde let her arm fall around Lena, pulling her closer. Hung in the air between them was the silent promise from Kara to Lena— _it's okay to not be fine—_ stretched between hugs and whispers and gentle fingers running through dark hair; and as Lena looked at Kara, one arm wrapped around the CEO and the other wrestling the remote from her sister's hands with a bright grin, she felt the words form like smoke in her head. _I love you._

Then they were stuck, engraved deep in her mind even as her bravery sizzled in her chest and the words died on her lips, cycling in her head as her eyes slipped closed to Kara's warmth and the hum of her voice. _I love you, I love you, I love you._


End file.
